Four Cemeteries in Livermore, California

Oak Knoll Cemetery
Roselawn Memorial Park
St. Michael's Cemetery
Memory Gardens Memorial Park

A project of
Livermore-Amador Genealogical Society
P.O. Box 901
Livermore, CA 94551

©1988 Livermore-Amador Genealogical Society

Originator of Project
Margaret Stoneking Fazio

Word Processing
Beverly Schell Ales

Cover
Ruth Gantzer Burden

Maps
Clarence Parkison

January 1, 1988

Web Editor
George Anderson
November 22, 1996


History of this project

Our survey of Livermore Cemeteries started in the spring of 1982 and was completed the following December 1983. It must be noted that there were many gravesites that did not have stones/markers or the wooden markers were not legible. This survey does not include the name of every person buried in the cemetery, only those on markers that were visible. The Roselawn and St. Michael's cemetery surveys were published in the Society's quarterly "Roots Tracer" over the next five years. There was always the hope that the entire list would be compiled and printed in book form.

Our book has become a reality and is presented here in its entirety with the addition of a ground survey done on a now extinct cemetery known as Oak Knoll. Information gathered by the D. A. R. in 1934 and 1962 is also included.

This Web publication is derived from the book described above, "Livermore Cemeteries." The book contains all of the the data presented in this Web publication, plus maps locating the sections and rows in the cemeteries. The book is still available.

An acknowlegement cannot be complete without recognition of the many individuals who contributed their time and their knowledge of the histories of the cemeteries.

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Contents

Title Page

History of this project

Dedication

Abbreviations and notations

Hidden drama in the graveyard

Master Index of Names

Page Index

Oak Knoll Cemetery (Pioneer Cemetery)

Introduction

Plot Map, uncertain date

Inscriptions

Roselawn Memorial Park (Formerly Masonic Cemetery)

Introduction

Plot Map as of 1988

Inscriptions

St. Michael's Cemetery (Catholic)

Introduction

Plot Map as of 1988

Inscriptions

Memory Gardens Odd Fellows Memorial Park

Introduction

Plot Map as of 1988

Inscriptions

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This book is dedicated
To the children of J. & P. Waggoner

The art of the gravestones of the Waggoner children has been chosen for the cover of this book. (The cover picture is not shown on this Web site.) Their sad demise over a period of days and weeks was no doubt caused by a diphtheria epidemic. The headstones are in the Memory Gardens Odd Fellows Memorial Park on East Avenue in Livermore, California. The site may be found on page 27 of Memory Gardens Memorial Park.
Albert E. Waggoner
Nov 30 1866-Feb 18 1877
dearest children
thou hast left us,
oh thy loss we deeply
feel, Twas God who
hath bereaved us. He
can all our sorrows treat.

Mary E. Waggoner
Dec 7 1868-Mar 3 1877
Sweet Flowers,
transplanted to a clime
where never comes
the blight of time.

Nora M. Waggoner
Aug 10 1873-Feb 21 1877
Suffer little children to come unto me.

Elsa P. Waggoner
Jul 7 1875-Feb 22 1877
He carries the Lambs in his bosom.

The first plot to be sold in Memory Gardens was to Jacob Waggoner (1844-1925) October 30, 1911. The headstones are those of children of Jacob Waggoner. Although they died much before the establishment of this cemetery they were no doubt brought here after the father obtained the site.

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How to find more information

More information can be obtained directly from the cemetery associations themselves. Roselawn Memorial Park has an Index of Interments which is available at the office of Art Monument Co., Inc., Hayward, California.

Memory Gardens Odd Fellows Memorial Park office at 3873 East Avenue, Livermore, California also has an alphabetized listing of all interments. This cemetery property was purchased in 1910 and became incorporated in 1959.

Fraternal organizations such as the Masonic Order and Odd Fellows had as one of their benefits to the membership a provision that they could be buried in the cemetery which was the property of the organization. In those years this was a benefit that was most important. The cemeteries are now open to the public.

Mortuaries in the area are a good source of information if that information does not appear in this book and it is certain that the person was interred in Livermore. In small communities mortuaries were more stable and records were better kept. Two long-established mortuaries are still in existence in Livermore: Callaghan Mortuary with records of cash journals from 1894 and regular journals from 1906; and the Livermore Mortuary. The Graham-Hitch Mortuary of Pleasanton, California may be another source as they also utilitized the Livermore cemeteries.

It should be noted that California State Law did not require deaths to be recorded before 1905. Different spellings for surnames should also be checked which includes the phonetic spelling.

Death certificates for Alameda County, California may be obtained by writing to the Recorders Office, Room 10, 1225 Fallon Street, Oakland, CA 94612 for the years 1905-1985. Other sources for records are the Oakland Public Library, 125 14th Street, Oakland, CA 94612 for dates before the city boundaries were established and the designation was by township.

If errors are found, it would be of great assistance if the corrections were sent to the Society for further editions. The committee reqrets any errors or omissions.

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Abbreviations and notations

*.....Masonic Lodge member
b.....born
d.....died
yrs...years
mos...months
dys...days
nd....no date
dau...daughter
Jr....Junior
Sr....Senior
Rev...Reverend
MD....Medical Doctor
Dr....Doctor
US....United States
USA...United States Army
USN...United States Navy
USMC..United States Marine Corps
USCG..United States Coast Guard
USAF..United States Air Force
WWI...World War I
WWII..World War II
R.....Reserve as in USNR
 .....
 .....
Jan...January
Feb...February
Mar...March
Apr...April
May...May
Jun...June
Jul...July
Aug...August
Sep...September
Oct...October
Nov...November
Dec...December
 .....
 .....
AL....Alabama
AK....Alaska
AZ....Arizona
AR....Arkansas
CA....California
CO....Colorado
CT....Connecticut
DE....Delaware
DC....District of Columbia
FL....Florida
GA....Georgia
HI....Hawaii
ID....Idaho
IL....Illinois
IN....Indiana
IA....Iowa
KS....Kansas
KY....Kentucky
LA....Louisiana
ME....Maine
MD....Maryland
MA....Massachusetts
MI....Michigan
MN....Minnesota
MS....Mississippi
MO....Missouri
MT....Montana
NE....Nebraska
NV....Nevada
NH....New Hampshire
NJ....New Jersey
NM....New Mexico
NY....New York
NC....North Carolina
ND....North Dakota
OH....Ohio
OK....Oklahoma
OR....Oregon
PA....Pennsylvania
RI....Rhode Island
SC....South Carolina
SD....South Dakota
TN....Tennessee
TX....Texas
UT....Utah
VT....Vermont
VA....Virgina
WA....Washington
WV....West Virgina
WI....Wisconsin
WY....Wyoming

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Hidden drama in the graveyard

By Margaret Fazio
in the Roots Tracer, October 1982

While typing the Roselawn Cemetery inscriptions, my curiosity was aroused by the listing of graves for a family of five named Beck, who all died on the same date, March 1, 1910. I wondered what had happened to this family. The inscriptions read:

   George L. Beck  Feb 2 1869-Mar 1 1910
     Ella A. Beck  May 8 1879-Mar 1 1910
      Hariet Beck  Jun 15 1903-Mar 1 1910
        Erma Beck  Sep 15 1905-Mar 1 1910
     Leonard Beck  Jul 18 1907-Mar 1 1910

I decided to check the Livermore Herald newspapers that have been microfilmed and stored in our Public Library by the Livermore Heritage Guild. Sure enough! The Livermore Herald of March 5, 1910 reported a disaster in Wellington, Washington, that claimed the lives of George L. Beck, his wife and three children, plus two others from the Livermore area: Emma Marion and an infant. Two trains, the Spokane Limited with 40 passengers and the west-bound transcontinental Fast Mail with no passengers, became imprisoned in the snow on February 24, 1910. At approximately 4:15 a.m. on March 1 an avalanche swept both of the trains down the side of the mountain. Thirty workmen who had been helping to dig the trains out were also swept over the side of the mountain as they slept in one of the coaches.

In all, 96 persons died in this disaster, still the highest avalanche death toll in U.S. history.

George Beck and his family were en route to California from their home in Marcus, Washington, where they had moved two years earlier. They were supposed to be coming by steamer, but had changed their plans at the last minute. John Beck, George's father, had not known that his son was aboard the ill-fated train.

George L. Beck was born in Nevada in 1869, but was brought to Livermore by his parents as a young child. Mrs. Beck was, before marriage, Ella Groser of Danville.

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